1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a blind cutting machine and, more specifically, to a workpiece holding-down structure for use in a blind cutting machine to hold down a blind for cutting. The invention relates also to a blind cutting machine having such a workpiece holding-down structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Due to mass production, blind manufacturers provide few sizes (lengths of headrail, bottom rail and slats) for each model. However, a house commonly has windows of different sizes subject to different lighting designs. Distributors or upholsterers may have to cut blinds purchased from factories subject to different windows to be covered with blinds. Various blind cutting machines have been disclosed, and have appeared on the market. A blind cutting machine generally comprises a cutter unit and a workpiece feeder. During operation, the blind to be cut is put in the workpiece feeder in a horizontal position and inserted through the cutter unit, and then the cutter unit is started to cut the blind. When cutting a blind, the parts of the blind must be gathered and held down in the cutting position. If the parts of the blind are not gathered and held down in the cutting position, the parts may be cut at different lengths, and the cut edges of the parts of the blind may be squeezed against one another, resulting in the presence of burs at the cut edges. In order to eliminate this problem, a vice or the like is used in the workpiece feeder to hold down the front ends of the parts of the blind in front of the cutter unit. However, because a blind is comprised of a number of elongated parts, simply holding down the front ends of the parts cannot keep the parts tightly together in a good order. Therefore, the operator has to arrange the rear ends of the parts in the workpiece feeder manually, and then insert the front ends of the parts of the blind through the cutter unit. This cutting procedure takes much time and labor, and the operator will tire very soon. When the operator became weary, he (she) may be unable to control the cutting quality well. Further, a vice for this purpose is complicated, and its use deters the speed of the cutting operation.